I have no wish to be thought of as a “modern artist.” My goal is to paint in the “old ways.” It takes many years of repetition and struggle to learn to move a pen or brush swiftly and with confidence that the resulting mark will please the eye. And it takes many weeks to apply paint in the manner of the old masters, beginning with a “grisaille” and building layers of “fat over lean” until the desired result is achieved. I choose to do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard- and increasingly rare.
(As an aside, and because my web expert says I should add this, here’s a link to my yacht design work.)
It pains me to observe the commercialism that has crept into the art milieu in the 21st century. Art should be about the artist’s struggle to transfer to canvas or paper a vision that exists in his mind’s eye. If it’s good enough, someone will understand its value and wish to own it. If not, it should be scraped down or burnt, and many of my unsuccessful works have suffered this fate at my hand.
I refuse to offer “Giclee prints” or other means of broadening or cheapening “the market” for my works. Everything you see on this website is an original work that has come directly from my hand. Yes, this might make my works more expensive than some, but any “print”, even if translated into French to make it sound more respectable, will quickly render itself worthless, and I want no part of this.
Just as I acknowledge and appreciate those who have seen merit in my own work, I wish to honor and support the artistic endeavors of my framers. Unlike so many these days I always display my artwork beautifully framed. Many of the frames you see here are works of art in themselves. The best of them are hand carved, 22 karat gold-leafed closed-corner frames from the Motyka atelier in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and in many cases my works will also have tastefully hand-lettered gold-leaf nameplates. If you wish to buy a painting but need to keep the cost down, I do have inexpensive frames and can reframe your chosen work and credit the difference in the frame cost.
I recognize that my large oils are beyond the financial reach of some would-be collectors. For this reason I offer my popular hand-drawn originals in pen and ink and pencil. These works are reasonably priced and thus an excellent investment for persons who would like to own an original work of art by a well-known Maine artist. I suppose in a way these are like a lottery ticket. Vincent Van Gogh never sold but one painting in his whole life. They sell for tens of millions today. So buy one of my one-of-a-kind sketches for next to nothing, and you never know!
Most important, I hope this exhibition of my works has brightened your day. That, more than any other reason, is why I paint.
1000 Miles to Land. 30 x 40 Oil on Canvas. 22 carat gold-leafed Motyka Hudson River Style frame and hand-lettered nameplate. poa